


Blood and Sand

by DreamingKate



Category: Glee
Genre: Amputation, M/M, shark attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 12:59:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2773892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingKate/pseuds/DreamingKate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shark attacks only happened in bad movies. They never happened to people like them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Shark Week Prompt! The New Directions get to go to a beach for a competition and Blaine is bitten by a shark.

In all the movies Sam had seen shark attacks were violent. They were explosions of white foam as the monster leapt up and swallowed a man whole, leaving nothing behind but an absurd amount of blood. The hot coeds would swim screaming back to shore and someone would come and shoot the shark in the head with a bazooka. 

In reality, it was far less visual and far more terrifying. 

The trip to Florida had been amazing. They won their competition, only one of them got sick off of the water, and he got to see all the cute girls run around in bikinis. Mostly, they got to run around on the beach and play in the ocean, which was huge for kids who hadn’t ever seen the ocean. 

He and Blaine had swum as far as they could, laughing and challenging each other to swim farther. One moment, they were grinning at each other and treading in the water, and the next Blaine let out a gasp and vanished. 

At first, Sam just stared at where his friend had been in shock. His brain couldn’t comprehend what had taken Blaine down so quickly but just a moment later Blaine resurfaced. He was coughing and gasping before letting out a sharp cry of pain. 

The water turned a deep red around him and something bumped against Sam’s feet. 

Shark.

The though shocked Sam into motion and he quickly wrapped his arms around his screaming friend, kicking frantically for shore. The notion that he could also be attack never entered his mind. All he could think about was the fact that Blaine’s shouts were growing quieter and his legs had stopped kicking. 

“Help!” He let out a strangled scream and a few people ran over. “Shark!”

Sam managed to pull Blaine onto the beach, finally seeing the extent of the injury. Blaine’s left leg was in tatters. Shreds of muscle, skin and bone were everywhere in a horrifying red slick. With trembling hands, he tried to brush the sand off his leg knowing that it had to hurt. 

“Step back son,” a woman kneeled down by them, followed by a rather pale lifeguard on a phone. “I’m a nurse. Just give him some room.”

Blaine’s face was rapidly losing color and he seemed to almost blend into the white sand he was laying on. Bright, bright, bright red blood pooled around his leg and snaked in rivers back to the ocean. His body was shaking slightly, letting out weak whimpers. 

He glanced up, feeling dizzy and watched as the members of the Glee Club ran over. He caught sight of Kurt’s terrified face before he fell to his knees next to Blaine, placing his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders. 

“Blaine!” He cried out, pure desperation in his voice. “Stay awake. Stay with me. What happened?”

“Shark attack,” the lifeguard mumbled when Sam’s voice didn’t work. 

Kurt’s chest hitched with sobs as he clutched his boyfriend’s limp fingers and Sam couldn’t look away from Blaine’s motionless body. It looked like his life was practically flowing back to the sea. 

Paramedics ran down to the shore, kicking sand slightly over Sam as they loaded Blaine onto the stretcher. They nodded as Kurt pleaded to go with them, tears streaming down his cheeks. Silently, Sam and the rest of New Directions watched as they raced back to the ambulance. 

“Come on Sam,” Mr. Schue grabbed his elbow and pulled him up. “We’ll follow them in the bus.”

The bus ride was silent save for a few quiet sobs. Sam couldn’t even think. Every thought slipped through through his mind without leaving a trace.

All he could do was stare at his hands, caked in sand and blood.


	2. Red and White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I loved Blood and Sand that you posted today! Can you do a sequel about what happens to Blaine in the hospital and afterwards? Thanks!

Everything Kurt saw was in shades of red and white, just like the blood against the sand. He didn’t think he could ever get that image out of his head. He still could feel Blaine’s limp fingers in his own as the color faded further from his face. 

Now he lay on the hospital bed looking just as pale. Kurt fixed his eyes on his face, trying his hardest not to look lower and see what was there. Well, what wasn’t there.

Kurt was convinced he had no more tears left to shed. He had sobbed in the ambulance, convinced that every breath was going to be Blaine’s last. He had sobbed in the waiting room, not even hearing the halfhearted mumbles of encouragement from his teammates. He had broken down when the doctor told him that they had to amputate Blaine’s leg. 

They were supposed to go to New York together and go to NYADA. How was Blaine going to be able to get a performing arts degree now? He was going to have to relearn how to walk; dancing was out of the question. How would Blaine move past this?

Just the idea broke him. 

Part of him wanted Blaine to stay asleep so he wouldn’t have to see the aftermath. 

Guilt overwhelmed him at the thought and he scrubbed his hand over his face. It wasn’t that he would love his boyfriend any less without a leg; he just wanted so desperately to keep Blaine from pain. 

His heart jumped when he saw Blaine’s eyes open slightly, squinting into the bright light. He looked dazed, eyes drifting across the ceiling. 

“Blaine?” He called out shakily and those hazy eyes moved towards him. “You’re okay baby. You’re in the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Blaine slurred slightly, looking confused. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” Kurt’s throat tightened. 

“What happened?” Blaine’s eyes closed and his forehead creased slightly. 

“Do you remember swimming in the ocean?” Kurt asked shakily and Blaine nodded. 

He let out a soft sound of pain and moved a hand down to his leg. Kurt could hardly breathe as Blaine’s hand moved to his knee and then felt nothing. At first he just looked confused and then his eyes snapped open. 

“Oh,” he gasped, pushing himself clumsily onto his elbows. 

“It’s okay honey,” Kurt choked out as Blaine ripped the blankets off of his bed. 

The wheezing cry Blaine let out when he saw the bandaged stump would always be ingrained in Kurt’s mind as the worst thing he had ever heard. His hands hovered over the bandages as he let out gasps, eyes wide and unbelieving. 

“You’re okay,” Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine’s torso and pulled him back. For a moment, Blaine struggled and let out a scream before collapsing into Kurt’s arms with a sob. “It’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.”

“My leg,” Blaine sobbed, shaking violently. 

“You were attacked by a shark. They couldn’t save your leg, you were bleeding so badly and you were dying,” Kurt felt himself trembling as he rocked them back and forth. “But everything will be okay.”

Blaine clutched his arm so tight that Kurt felt it tingle slightly from lack of circulation. A few nurses and a doctor hurried into the room and tried to get Blaine to calm down, giving him a slight sedative. After a few more gasps, Blaine relaxed in his arms. 

“You let them take my leg,” Blaine whispered softly and Kurt’s heart shattered. 

“The shark shredded your leg,” Kurt helped him lay back in bed. “It crushed bones and ripped out muscles. There was nothing they could do.”

Blaine let out a small whimper. “They took my leg.”

“But you’re still here.”

“Not all of me,” Blaine’s eyes drifted closed and Kurt just tried to hold himself together.


	3. Up In Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt by darrensunderwear: red & white was so good! Could you do another sequel? Like where he has one of those super cool prosthetics that are like a completely functional leg and he can dance and maybe it’s hs first broadway show or something and he’s happy? ;)

Cuddling was weird. 

Kurt hated to think it but it was true. As much as he wanted to tell himself that Blaine losing his leg wasn’t going to change anything it did. Blaine had been withdrawn and quiet even through he had been transferred back to Ohio. He was in pain and angry at his situation but clung to Kurt. 

Now they were curled up together on Blaine’s hospital bed and all Kurt could think about was how strange it felt to have just one of Blaine’s legs entwined with his own. 

“Maybe I’ll just use a wheelchair,” he mused and Kurt gently rubbed his fingers along Blaine’s arm. “Artie does just fine with it.”

“It’s going to be hard to get a role on Broadway in a wheelchair,” he mumbled and Blaine huffed.

“That dream is pretty much done,” he whispered and Kurt felt his chest tighten. “How many Broadway stars do you know have just one leg?”

“There are plenty of actors with amputations.”

“Who play people with amputations? I won’t be…a Marius or a Tony,” he huffed out a sigh. “Maybe a pirate. I can get a peg leg.”

“Blaine…”

“It’s fine. I’ll work behind the scenes or as a writer or something,” Blaine shrugged, staring at the wall intently. 

Kurt sat up and gently rolled Blaine towards him. “You weren’t made to be in the background. You are a star Blaine and your name is going to be up in lights.”

“That’s kind of cruel,” Blaine finally muttered, eyes locked somewhere on Kurt’s collarbone. “But I told you that it’s fine. I’ll be there for your first show.”

Tears pricked at Kurt’s eyes but he forced them back, tired of crying over this. He hated seeing his boyfriend so lost and unsure of himself. He wanted so desperately to see his boyfriend who glowed during solos and who loved being in the spotlight because he knew where he belonged. This Blaine was almost unrecognizable. 

“And I’ll be there for yours,” there it was again, that placating smile. “Why don’t you want to give the prosthetic a try?”

“Because I don’t want to have a hunk of metal propping me up,” Blaine snapped back. “I don’t want something that’s not me as part of my body.”

Kurt ground his teeth slightly. “You can walk again. You can dance and jump and run again. Am I just supposed to believe that you’d give that all away because you don’t feel like having a prosthetic?”

For a moment he saw that spark before Blaine’s face settled into a blank mask. “Don’t you dare try to pretend to know what I’m going through. Don’t you dare try to tell me what is best for me.”

“My job as your boyfriend is to help you go further than you think you can. You push me and I push you and I won’t let you let go of the dream you’ve had since you were a toddler because of something as stupid as a leg,” Kurt tried to hold his voice steady. 

“I lost part of myself! I don’t even feel like a whole person,” the anger faded away and was replaced by an overwhelming sadness. “What if…what if I can’t do it? What if I go through all that and can’t do it? If I still never make it on Broadway or anything close?”

Kurt gathered him in his arms and leaned into his body as he relaxed into his hold. He felt Blaine trembling faintly and closed his eyes. He wished he could go back in time and stop Blaine from going into the ocean. He wished he could run into the water and pull him to safety himself but he knew it wasn’t possible. This was their life now and they would have to adjust. 

“You will because it’s all I see you doing,” Kurt whispered into his ear. “I’ll be there with you for the entire time.”

—

Kurt had seen some amazing things in his life. He had watched a pathetic group of nobodies bond together and achieve more than anyone imagined. He had held his father’s hand on the brink of death and watched him come back. He had felt the rush of singing in front of hundreds of people. 

And nothing compared to this. 

Blaine’s breath came out a little ragged and sweat beaded at his temple but he was standing tall. The metal of his leg glinted in the harsh lights of the physical therapy room and he swayed badly but held on tightly to the support bars. 

“Want to try taking a step?” The physical therapist asked, holding onto the stability belt around Blaine’s waist. 

With a shaky breath, Blaine stepped forward with his good leg and dragged his prosthetic behind him, stumbling. He let out a curse and gripped the bars tightly. 

“It’s hard to balance,” he mumbled and tried again, nearly falling. 

“Just try to get into a rhythm,” the physical therapist said kindly and Blaine struggled for a few more steps before finally managing to take a full step, and then another and another. 

“Look at you,” Kurt breathed, watching Blaine grin as he walked the length of the support bars. “You’re walking Blaine.”

He continued walking back and forth, his gait stiff and awkward but with every step he looked more and more comfortable. That bright light was returning to his eyes and he reached a hand out for Kurt to take. 

“Walk with me,” he said with a smile.

—

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Blaine mumbled, bouncing slightly on his good leg. “What if I fall or trip or…what if my leg comes off.”

“That’s crazy Blaine, you know that your leg is fitted perfectly. You’ve practiced this a million and ten times,” Kurt rubbed his arms up and down. “And you’re Link, you’re one of the stars of the show. You’re going to go out there and crush it.”

Blaine blushed and smoothed down his jacket before lightly running a hand over his gelled hair. “It could blow up in my face.”

“They didn’t even audition anyone after you and they knew about your condition. You’re perfect for this role,” Kurt squeezed his hands. “You’re going to be amazing and I’ll be there the entire time.” 

With one more kiss Kurt made his way to his seat and sat next to a beaming Rachel. He picked up the playbill and flipped to the “Who’s Who In The Cast” section even though he had memorized it weeks ago.

Blaine Anderson (Link Larkin) A recent graduate of New York’s Academy of the Dramatic Arts. This is Blaine’s Broadway debut and is a dream come true for him. Blaine is an amputee and an advocate for performers with disabilities. He wants to thank his friends, family, and especially his fiancé Kurt for his continued support. I love you Kurt, I think of you with every step I take.

Tears filled his eyes the moment the music started. This was everything Blaine had worked for and he had overcome some incredible odds but never for one moment did Kurt ever think that he wouldn’t be here. 

Blaine was flawless. Every time he was on stage everyone’s eyes were drawn to him. His grace and enthusiasm was captivating and by the end Kurt’s heart felt like it could burst from pride. 

“You were perfect!” Kurt threw his arms around his fiancé’s neck the moment he saw him and Blaine laughed, hugging him tighter. “Seriously, if you don’t get a Tony nomination for that they are stupid.”

“Let’s not get too excited,” Blaine laughed. “It was amazing.”

Kurt felt himself getting choked up and pulled him in for a deep kiss, rubbing his hand gently over his back. He leaned back and pressed their foreheads together, heart so full that it was a little hard to breathe. 

“Excuse me Blaine,” Pauline, one of the show’s assistants, leaned in smiling. “Someone would like to meet you if that’s alright with you.”

“Fame beckons,” Kurt whispered and Blaine rolled his eyes before nodding. 

A woman stepped in with her blushing twelve-year-old daughter, one arm wrapped around her shoulder. The girl was in a nice black dress with a simple cardigan over it but Kurt’s eye was drawn to her prosthetic arm.

“Hi Mr. Anderson,” the woman said, bright smile in place. “My name is Laura Wilcox and this is my daughter Samantha. She really wanted to meet you.”

“Hi Samantha,” Blaine smiled at her and the girl gave him a tentative one back. “I hope you enjoyed the show.”

“You were amazing,” she said softly. “I…I want to act too one day.”

“Really? That’s fantastic!”

“And my teacher told me that I shouldn’t try because of my arm but then I heard about you so…so I think I can,” she blushed. “You’re kind of my hero.”

Blaine blinked at her for a moment before his expression softened and he placed a hand to his chest. “I can’t tell you what an honor that is. You seem like a very determined young lady and that’ll get you far. Don’t let anyone get in your way of what you want, not even yourself.”


End file.
